When he booked two nights at Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, vocalist Steve Lippia’s plan was to share the stage with composer Marvin Hamlisch. Lippia would present his show, “Simply Sinatra,” and Hamlisch would lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s pops section in several numbers.

When leaving Tyler's Cowan Center after the Lyle Lovett show recently, I made a wrong turn and headed out the Old Henderson Highway. Realizing my mistake, I turned around in a driveway that led up to Villa Montez, the stately home that was once The Mansion on the Hill. The place was beautifully lit and the aromas so enticing, I decided to take my mom there on her birthday.

Local singer and violinist Hannah Caroline Kirby knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. The 2012 Sulphur Springs High School graduate decided to attend Texas A&M-Commerce for a year, get some theory classes under her belt before heading to the University of North Texas to pursue a degree in music.